HB588 Alabama 2012 Session

Updated Feb 27, 2026

Notable

Summary

Primary Sponsor: Mike Ball
Republican
Co-Sponsors: Kurt Wallace Mac Buttram Ed Henry April Weaver Dan Williams Lynn Greer Terri Collins Rod Scott Elaine Beech Allen Treadaway Phil Williams Barry Mask Chad Fincher Donnie Chesteen
Session: Regular Session 2012
Title: Education, school grading system to be developed by State Superintendent of Education for K-12 schools
Summary: HB588 would require Alabama to create an A-F school grading system for public K-12 schools and establish a program to recognize high-performing or improving schools.
What This Bill Does
It requires the State Superintendent of Education to develop a statewide school grading system (A-F) that reflects school and district performance. It also creates the Legislative School Performance Recognition Program to reward schools that rank in the top 25% or show at least one letter-grade improvement. Grades would be made public and communicated to parents annually, and the program would be guided by rules and timelines before full implementation.

Who It Affects
Public K-12 schools and school districts would receive grades (A-F) based on performance and improvements.
Parents, guardians, and the general public would have access to school grades via the Department of Education website and annual communications.

Key Provisions
A school grading system using the A-F framework shall be developed to reflect the performance of each state, district, and school.
Grades will be determined using measures such as student achievement, achievement gaps, college and career readiness, learning gains, and other indicators chosen by the State Superintendent.
Grades must be publicly posted on the Department of Education's website and provided to parents or guardians annually.
The Legislative School Performance Recognition Program will reward top 25% schools or those showing at least one-letter improvement, with funds allocated competitively and subject to a cap and rules; no school may receive both types of awards.
Implementation timelines require design by December 31, 2012 and implementation for the 2013-2014 school year, with required rules under the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act, and annual posting of eligible schools.

AI-generated summary using openai/gpt-5-nano on Feb 24, 2026. May contain errors — refer to the official bill text for accuracy.
Subjects: Education